Maternity skirt



INVENTOR. n. euswevs boL-L ATTORNEY,

Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE The present inventionpertains to a novel maternity skirt of the type that permit enl r ementof the waist as needed.

The skirts generally made or offered for this purpose are provided withpleats at the front or back. The pleats in this position merelyemphasize and add to the increased body dimensions in practically alladjustments of the skirt. Also, the mechanical operation of making theadjustment is often complicated or awkward, with the result that thewearer must contend with a skirt that is far from neat.

The principal object of this invention is to overcome these difficultiesand in general to provide a skirt with as neat and trim appearance aspossible under the circumstances. More particularly, the pleats forexpansion are removed from the front and back, where they would be mostconspicuous, and placed at the sides where they are least conspicuous.The pleats are not permanent or secured but rather in the form of loosegathers that can be opened out as required.

An unrufiled condition of the front of the skirt is provided by securinga strap or binding thereto at the waist. This member is extended fromboth ends as a belt passing through loops on the side portions of theskirt, preferably on the outside.

The back portion of the skirt is defined by a pair of slits through thewaist, and the back portion also is unruflled. The ends of the belt passthrough the slits and are tied together and concealed inside the skirt.Thus, there is no indication, in the early stages, that the garment is amaternity skirt. In the more advanced stages and while the skirt isstill gathered, the gathers are at the hips where the least enlargementoccurs and where the wearer can best afford, from the standpoint ofappearance, to have the gathers.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the followingdescription and in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective top view of the skirt;

Figure 2 is a plan view with the back portion turned outward;

Figure 3 is a front elevation with the belt ex tended; and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characterswhich are employed to designate corresponding part throughout.

In Figure 1 the skirt material is illustrated as formed into a body I bysewing together a numher of panels or in any other suitable manner, withthe particulars of construction that are described herein. For thepurpose of description, the body of the skirt may be regarded ascomprising a front portion 2, side or hip portions 3 andaback portion 4.a 1

At the waist line 5, the side portions 3 are formed with loose pleats orgathers 6, there being sufiicient material at the waist to provide forthe pleats while the waist line of the wearer is in normal or nearlynormal condition. The waist is slit at I at both sides of the backportion 4, for a purpose that will presently be described. A binding 8may be secured on the upper end of the back portion, or at the waist, tomaintain this portion in an unrufiled condition. In like manner adoubled binding 9 is fitted over and secured to the upper edge or waistof the front portion 2.

This member is actually a belt on the outside of the waistband, havingloose prolonged ends or tying portions ID at the back, and bridging agap H at the front of the waist portion 5.

The belt portions l0 pass through loops secured to the side portions 3at the waist line and on the outside. It will be noted that two of theseloops are located directly at the slits 7 so that the ends of the beltportions are easily guided through the slits to the inside of the skirt.The pleats 6 may be made larger or smaller by drawing the belt portionsin one direction or the other through the loops [2.

When the waistlin has been adjusted as required, by means of the beltand loops, the ends of the belt are drawn through the slits l and tiedtogether inside the skirt in a concealed position. The ends of the rearbinding 8 are then attached where they reach on the belt, by anysuitable means such as safety pins, for example. However, fastener hooksI3 are preferably attached to the ends of the rear binding 8 on theinside for engagement with eyes M on the belt. The eyes are located tobe engaged by the hooks during the early stages of pregnancy.Thereafter, additional eyes or safety pins may be used, as the waistline of the skirt is enlarged from time to time.

The waist of the skirt is cut higher at the front than at the back, asshown in Figure 3 where the numeral l5 indicates the rear upper edge.Such a relation exists when the lower edge or hem of the skirt is at aconstant distance from the floor. The higher front edge of the waistline may be dropped lower as pregnancy advances, to comp gate for thetendency of the front lower edge to The skirt is made in such a manneras to maintain a neat appearance at all times. Pleats and gathers areavoided at the front and back where they would exaggerate and emphasizethe natural enlargement. Instead, they are provided at the hips wherethe enlargement is at the minimum and where they improve the outwardappearance of the figure even under normal or nearly normal 'fcbfiditions. The 'bdiltlld. bfiw removes the apronffect that *is distastefulto most women. It is easily smoothed out within the skirt so that it isinconspicuous from the outside. W

Although a specific embodiment of thir'fv'n tion has been illustratedand described} it":will-be understood that various alterationsinithedetails of construction may be made"wi'thoi1t'diiarting from thescope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

1 ',-.i;; 1. x 2 L1? lul', :n, 11;.

+1 1A skirt compri in a .fidnM-Plfifik bl Wit-9- rial providinfront,.-ba si a d: derq z-t p isian -aiwaistasaid...bo yt eine slit throgh fizhezwa between the,.bac1 =p i n.-end the; sidejnq ons,

a belt fixed to said front portiqnat theflvaist, 25

sleeps .ontthes aist ti e' s de q ti s-n a dp t mas in th ou h rsa di ppsi endh vix e 9 ,91 99r- -tionsadapted to pass through the slits and to.tie

inside said back portion, fastening elements on said back portion atsaid slits, and complementary fastening elements on said belt.

2. A skirt comprising a body of pleatable mate- 5 rial providing front,back and side portions and side of-the-waist at theside porhaving endportions adapted to pass through the 'ESIits and to tie inside said backportion, fasteni elements on said back portion at said slits, adcd'inplementary fastening elements on said '15 belt.

M. GENEVIEVE DOLL.

.References cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

